Synopsis: A coming of age story about Isabel’s lessons and realizations on life and death as a funeral videography intern. Due to her family situation, Isabel is cynical and skeptical of everything that comes her way. When she enters the I-libings for her required college internship, she sees it as the worst internship her college adviser could suggest to her. Later as she accumulates her required hours, she realizes that the company is not just a place where videographers make money out of other people’s misfortunes but is a place where the dead and the grieving receive special attention. It all comes full circle when Isabel is faced with an unusual family tragedy. Isabel realizes that her internship might have been just 200 hours, but the lessons that the I-libings left her would last a lifetime.

Trailer:

Reviews:

4.0 Jason Domantay (Yahoo Philippines)

“I believe this could be one of Glaiza’s best performances. Her sensible acting is realistic at the beginning, revealing in the middle and in the film’s climax, heartbreaking yet courageous.” (Read full review)

4.0 Taking a Break

“One of the things I learned in writing stories, especially stories for television, is that viewers love getting surprised–but they like it more when it feels organic, when they see the surprise unfolding in front of their eyes.” (Read full review)

3.0 Oggs Cruz (Twitch)

“I-Libings is a sorely uneven film, but for that unexpected detour from the mundane concerns of intern life to tackle humanity’s fragility within the frame provided by death and mourning, everything can forgiven.” (Read full review)

3.0 Jansen Musico (Pelikula Tumblr)

“There is a beauty in I-Libings, one that can’t even be buried by its story’s predictability. This beauty lies in the way the film lets its audience slip into Isabel’s shoes, initially as spectators, then as people immersed in and moved by wakes, until we, too, finally come face to face with the inevitable.” (Read full review)

3.0 Mental Clutter

“There are times when movies should just be books, or should have been told differently. For I-Libings, the story could have been told differently, but the ending and most of the dialogues were very good.” (Read full review)

2.5 Philbert Dy (Click the City)

“A lot of it feels awkward, mainstream sensibilities clashing with a low-key filmmaking style. It’s all a bit clunky, but the film does gain steam in its second half. It ends with a burst of colorful drama, revealing a somewhat absurd populist heart that can create powerful, satisfying moments.” (Read full review)

2.5 Carl Papa (Whatever, Carl)

“Those said, I would not mind watching the film again. It is the type of film that you could repeat and still feel good about watching it.” (Read full review)

2.0 Wilfred Cabrera (Me Likes Art)

“That is not to say that I-libings is a bad movie, because it is considerably far from being one. Theme-wise, it proves itself as one of the boldest forays through human pretense in cinema, but I regret to say that its first half alone does not warranty a generally pleasurable viewing.” (Read full review)

“You’ve seen this kind of film before, but no matter how hard you resist, it still charms its way into your heart. Glaiza de Castro and Earl Ignacio shine in their roles.”

3.0 Arsenio Tan Liao (Member, Cinephiles)

“Earl Ignacio’s performance is one reason enough to watch the movie.”

3.0 Epoy Deyto (Film bogger, Kawts Kamote)

“Bonus points for Earl Ignacio’s great acting and for Glaiza De Castro’s eyes.”

3.0 Mayk Juat (Member, Cinephiles)

“Predictable… but fun at some parts.”

2.5 Dodo Dayao (Lagarista)

“The uniformly fine acting, particularly of Earl Ignacio and Glaiza De Castro, is what sees you through the wobbly, sometimes sloppy, first half, and even as the visual flatness and the overbearing use of music resumes throughout, the second half does come alive dramatically up until its cathartic finale.”